Surgical tools such as scalpels and knives generally consist of a tool handle and a disposable blade. The present invention is an instrument which safely and sanitarily removes the disposable blade from the tool handle. A handle of a surgical tool generally consists of a long, flat, lower portion, a gripping surface, a shoulder, and a narrowed portion. The narrowed portion consists of a neck and a raised, elongated retaining member. The elongated retaining member usually has a narrow groove on both sides of its upper portion. A disposable blade, which attaches to the tool handle, generally has an elongated slot therein which engages with the elongated retaining member of the tool handle. The slot has three sections, a narrow upper portion, a medium middle portion, and a wide lower portion. The upper and middle portions of the slot are compatible with the grooves on both sides of the upper portion of the retaining member. The blade is secured to the tool handle by sliding the upper, grooved portion of the retaining member through the upper and middle portions of the blade slot. The blade is then flexed so that the wide lower portion of the blade slot flexes over the rear portion of the retaining member (toward the handle). The blade unflexes when the wide lower portion of the slot has passed the rear portion of the raised retaining member. In this unflexed state, the blade lies flat with the neck of the handle with the retaining member protruding through the blade slot, and thus secures the blade to the tool handle.
The tool handle portion of a surgical knife, being relatively costly, is cleaned and sterilized after each use. A blade, however, is relatively inexpensive. In addition, multiple usage dulls a surgical blade. Therefore, the surgical blades are considered disposable. It is important that the contaminated blade be removed in an efficient and safe manner so that personnel does not risk possible cuts or infection from a contaminated blade. After removal, contaminated surgical blades should be disposed of properly.
It is known to remove a surgical blade from a tool handle using forceps. Forceps, however, have several disadvantages. They are not specifically designed for removing surgical blades and, therefore, often fail to remove the blade on the first try. There is also the possibility that during the removal procedure, blood or other material could drip from the contaminated surgical knife. Additionally, because forceps are often hinged, they are generally difficult to sterilize after being used to remove a contaminated blade.
It is also known to use a device which includes a compartment such that when the blade is inserted into the compartment the blade is flexed so that the lower portion of the blade slot flexes over the raised retaining member of the handle. The handle may then be easily separated from the blade. These devices usually retain the contaminated blade in the compartment. Examples of a compartment type of device include U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,777, U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,807, U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,334, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,173, U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,016, U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,532, U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,390, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,376. These compartment devices all contain at least one compartment which can secure at least one blade. As compared with the present invention, these devices are difficult to manufacture. Another problem is the difficulty in sanitizing these devices which often contain small cracks in which contaminated material often remains undetected after sterilization. Because of the difficulty in sanitizing these devices, most are disposable.
It is also known to use a single sheet metal device designed for removing a blade from a handle of a surgical tool. The metal sheet is bent at a C-shaped, flexible fold which separates an upper portion and a lower portion which extend generally parallel to one another. This device would generally contain the following: an edge of the lower portion opposite the fold, angled upward to form a lower ridge which defines a lower notch, the lower ridge on either side of the notch being used to selectively apply pressure to the lower side of the blade on either side of the neck of the tool handle; an upper portion narrower than the lower portion, with the edge of the upper portion opposite the fold angled downward to form an upper ridge which defines an upper notch, the upper ridge on either side of the notch being used to selectively apply pressure to the upper side of the blade on either side of the retaining member of the tool handle; the middle section of both the upper portion and the lower portion bent inward to form a blade gripping section for gripping the blade above the blade slot; and the fold itself which may function as a blade protector for covering the tip of the blade.
To use this sheet metal device for removing a blade, a user may place his fingers and thumb of one hand below the under notch and above the over notch respectively. Using the free hand, the user would generally grip the surgical tool by its handle and insert the blade into the single sheet device. When the user squeezes the upper and lower portions of the single sheet device, the blade gripping section grips the tip of the blade, the upper ridge applies pressure downward on the middle section of the blade, and the under ridge applies pressure upward on the lower end of the blade. These conflicting pressures cause the lower end of the blade to flex upward above the raised retaining member of the tool handle. The user may then pull the handle away from the contaminated blade.
This sheet metal device, because the user's fingers are in close proximity to the contaminated blade, puts the user in danger of coming into contact with dangerous contaminants. Further, as the user loosened his grip so as to allow him to remove the blade from the single sheet device, the blade gripping section opens to permit the contaminated blade to slip out. The contaminated blade, since it is not being held by the blade gripping section, could easily slip and cut the user's hand. This is dangerous as it risks possible cuts and infection from a sharp contaminated blade; and this danger has been increased in recent months by the widespread incidence of AIDS.
Accordingly, principal objects of the present invention are as follows: to provide a means for safe and sanitary removal of contaminated blades from surgical instruments; to provide a removal instrument which is easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture; to provide a removal instrument which is easy to sanitize; and to provide a removal instrument which may be reused after sanitization.